I do not own Vampire Academy.
When school finally ended for the night, the sunrise began to peak over the Montana mountains. My body ached from Guard Theory and by dinner time I looked forward to a hot meal and my bed. I usually had after school practices with Uncle Eddie but because of running the obstacle course there was no need. Plus, he and Alberta were scooped away by the Russians, so I assumed practice was cancelled.
I jabbed my key into the lock struggling to not pass out in the hallway. By the time I manage to enter my category-two-disaster of a dorm room; I dropped my bag and grabbed a water from my fridge to only notice I wasn't alone.
"Fuck! Mom?"
Lissa Dragomir sat unannounced on my bed reading a gossip column magazine that Lily left behind one night.
"Language sweetie," she placed the paper down before standing up her arms outstretched. "Surprise!"
Oh God, my worst fears were happening in front of my eyes. My body ached from guard theory that I should not be taking and here was my mother hug me, crushing me!
I sucked it up and smiled, embracing my mother with love.
"why're you so sweaty?" she commented pulling away.
"Um, Lily and I jogged for my free period. You know I love to run whenever I can." She seemed to accept this as her smile reappeared and she sat back down on my messy bed. The Queen of an ancient race didn't exactly have time for weekend visits, which was protocol here at Saint Vladimir but don't tell Mom that. Like the previous Queen she liked to have surprise visitations, more for keeping Kirova on her toes and less for her ego unlike her predecessor.
My mother looked well seeing our last visit was the winter holidays and it was now mid-March. "I'd thought popping in for a surprise was in order… maybe we can go out for dinner?"
"Ya sure, where is Dad?" I asked hoping maybe he was hiding in my bathroom.
"Sorry, our schedules clashed again. It'll be just us and Andre of course," she smiled brightly squeezing my hands affectionately like she always did when I was a child.
"You mean you and Andre will watch me eat," I laughed, changing into something more suitable, tee-shirt and sweatpants would have to do.
"Not true! I happen to like…what are those little places humans adore?" She was using my mirror now straightening her platinum locks into a plain clip. Honestly, the most causal thing I've ever seen Mom wear was jeans and a blouse, as she dressed today.
"Diners Mom," I corrected, chuckling.
I would defend my mother to the ends of the earth. In her position, Lisa was not a horrible mother. I didn't have an atrocious childhood; one would expect an orphan to have. No there was never a time in my life I hadn't felt unloved. Out of place yes, but never unloved. She did her best to understand my like and needs. Even though she couldn't eat like I would Mom would still take to restaurants and diners so I could enjoy a good meal. Dad was already an amazing cook, so we didn't go out much but when we did as kids it was always a treat. You just had to ignore the multiple caravan of Guardians on our every move. Yup, simple happy family.
"Sorry honey, but I do like their milkshake! Those strawberry ones are my favorite."
Yeah, to hide the color blood.
When I finished getting ready. We walked down my room walking arm in arm, ignoring the Guardians the met us at the end of the hallway. We took a secluded passageway that was meant for the Queen to slip in and out of the Academy with safety. On our way we caught up on our lives. Court always giving Mom and hard time with passing legislation. Me reminding Mom that I was doing well with school.
I wish I was open with Mom about my accomplishment in class today, but I know Mom would not approve at all. It wasn't that Mom disapproved of my lineage, that I was in fact a Dhampir, my mother just could put past the danger I would put myself in. The target I would be to other's if I subjected a guarding role. At the end of the day I was the Queen's daughter and would always be followed with the world's evils and my mother's enemies.
We meet Andre at the secret back entrance that could only be used by officials or well, the Queen. Andre looked out of place by the number of guards standing around him. His pasty completion stood out against the heavy backdrop of black uniforms.
"Hey Momma," he almost skipped to Mom, he was such a momma's boy it was kind of sad. Andre at the age of seventeen towered over Mom, completely. He had Mom's completion but Dad's body-shape.
"Let's get in the car before the light peaks over the mountains," she hastened, looking towards the mountains. The sun didn't kill Moroi, but it was annoying to their skin. I on the other hand usually slept on the roof when visiting Uncle Adrian in Maine. I craved the sun.
I couldn't recognize any of the Queen's guard. The Queen's position wasn't an easy situation to settle in, her guards were constantly changing, new faces, new line-up. My biological mother was just the same, as much as she was close to Lissa. Rose was the first in the lineup of my mother's circle of troops. Then she was gone. The thought made me a little agitated but like always I stuffed it down. It was the reality of their position, they come first.
Is it bad that I called my biological mother Rose? I have whispering memories of her, shiny brown hair, so long I could pull it easily with my cubby fists. A smile. It's all I could remember of her, those tiny flashes in the back of my subconscious. I sure they were made up dreams since my parents adopted me when I was a newborn. I'm convinced they're dreams. I've never seen a picture of her so how could I know her hair was brown? I had to have made it all up as a child.
The world was wiped of her existence. No one liked to talk about Rose, not my parents, Adrian, nor Uncle Eddie; my Aunt Jill barely spoke to us, and my grandparents were a case in themselves. My father had never been in the picture, no one knew who he was. He must've had some damn good though.
The car ride was peaceful, as we pulled into the little gravel parking lot. The diner was not far from the Academy. It was small and rustic yellow double-wide motor home tucked in down a little path. Its wheels firmly pressed into the ground as a clear testament that it hadn't been on the road for a long time. The inside was opposite from what you would expect. The interior held plush booths and smelled of rich Rocky Mountain Pie.
Yummy, chocolate.
We found a booth in the shade so Mom and Andre could sit comfortably in their seats. Two sets of Guardians sat on each side of our booth. Since it was early in the morning for humans, they only served breakfast, which was fine by me.
Bacon was my middle name.
The waitress came over, she had to be the owner because no employees would work this god-awful hour. She eyed the Guards suspiciously and took our table first; probably because we were the most approachable.
"What can I get you early birds?"
"I'll have a double stack please, with extra bacon and sausage links." The waitress scribbled down the tall order, "anything to drink?"
"I'll have a Coke-" Mom raised a disapproving eyebrow like all mothers did, "scratch that I'll just have orange juice." Even my mother that could drink soda still knew it was bad. Ugh, mothers.
"And you ma'am?" Mom tried to act like she was reading the menu thoroughly, it was hard to choose upon things you couldn't have. "Actually, I'll have a strawberry smoothie." Then the waitress looked to Andre. "I'll have the same," he mumbled, we needed to work on his social interaction with strangers.
"So how is Court?" I asked once the waitress took her leave.
"Oh, the same," Mom sighed, "always arguing and making complete fools of themselves. Actually, we are in recession because we have come to a… stalemate."
"Doesn't surprise anyone," Andre said, "big-ballooned aristocrats still are on last years' agenda and have yet to move forward but it doesn't matter to them with all the family money they sit on."
"Andre, we sit on a pile of family money," I added.
"Yes, but we can't touch it till twenty-one or if mom steps down, which will never bloody happen."
"Hey," Mom shot back laughing, "I'm here too ya' know." She paused a little and it became a comfortable silence. Mom must've been trying to find her words because she spoke again.
"Actually, I've come here more than a visit but a warning, it involves more than just the Court." This caught my attention. "The reason the Court has come into a locked argument is because there is a Strigoi epidemic is Russia."
Our food came in the middle of out dramatic pause, I ignored it now. "What? How long have they been attacking us?"
"That's the problem," she sighed "they are not attacking us."
"Humans," Andre concluded.
"Yes, which is so unlike Strigoi. They hate the taste of human blood, as we all know, but this new 'breed' can withstand it. We are slowly evacuating Russia but it's not going quick enough without the Courts funding; that is why we are in rescission." Lissa took out a small vile of blood pouring half into her smoothie and the other half into Andre's. I'm going to pretend I didn't see that; blood and I are like water and oil.
"George! Come look at this!" Our waitress called from the counter to her husband that was cooking in the back. Mom quickly slipped the vile back into her purse thinking the woman's sudden outburst was from witnessing her blood smoothie. I turn to the woman, who was still at the bar a dish rag draped over her shoulder. An old boxed television set propped in a corner turned on to the local morning new. A tall lanky old man in contrast to his plump wife strolled out from the kitchen a flour stained apron around his bony hips.
"Sources from our report team in Russia have just reported of another attack in a local nightclub," the news anchorman stated, his face looking grim behind the grainy picture. "This has been the fifth attack this week within the city of Moscow. Russian police are still investigating these random but violent acts of terror. The Nightclub, in question this morning was like all other scenes before, almost empty, gore everywhere, and only a few of the missing accounted for. The police still haven't concluded whether the attacks are terror or possibly a serial cult. Among the missing this week, 210. I'm Scott McFarland channel 67 Montana."
The news carried on with the local traffic, but we ignored it and returned to the uncomfortable conversation.
"They are attacking night clubs… the youth," Andre concluded, I could feel his disgust. They were monsters all of them; no heart or head just the longing for thirsts a craving that could never be quenched.
"The youth are easy targets sadly, when they go out in parties it's usually in large groups," Lissa took a large sip of the smoothie. "That is why I made an order to evacuate Saint Basil and bring them to the Academy."
"What!" Andre and I happened to exclaim in unison.
"Where would we house them?"
"We would be crammed!"
"We are already full in classes!"
"Enough, both of you!" Queen Lissa was at the plate now, "we will accommodate as necessary. Our race cannot afford this we are already losing numbers and I will not turn a blind eye to my people, too our people. We shall welcome them with open arms for we are all in this together, understood."
"But it's the humans they're attacking," I argued back, "shouldn't we also be covering our asses? The humans will dive deeper into this, they will find us. Where are the alchemist when we need them?"
"By the time we finish our dinner the government buildings in Russia will be vacant and the school will be empty by tomorrow. The Alchemists are covering their own hides, its best we do the same for the time being. Now, sense I must return to court tomorrow you will welcome the Headmistress and their staff as my representatives and a humble gesture as much children, understood?" She had hit a homerun with this one, Mom had both of us backed into a corner and we couldn't wiggle our way out of this one.
"Of course, Mom." Momma's boy had to agree first, the idiot.
"Fine," I grumbled taking a bite of my bacon.
We finished our meal with casual conversation after that; tomorrow was another busy day and now I had to set my alarm clock extra early. Damn, this bacon was good though!
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